


Temple Training and Trials

by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly



Series: Changing Fate [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Fluff, Jedi Training, M/M, Sparring, Young Anakin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-06-01 00:55:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6494503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Coruscant, Anakin continues to train, the elder Jedi continue to investigate the Sith problem. Eventually, a Knight goes to find more answers, with troublesome results.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Temple Training and Trials

Mace Windu was on hand as the trio of Jedi Master, Knight, and Padawan returned to the Temple at last. The ship that had been put at their disposal was now parked neatly on one of the less obtrusive Temple landing pads, and would be returned to Naboo in due time. Now, Mace reached out with the Force to understand how the shatterpoints lingered near the boy.

What he found was intriguing, something for further meditation, as the boy, in the short time since the testing, had found layers of shielding that, at the very least, masked whatever his true feelings were. Of the elder pair… Mace carefully did not let his surprise show. Nearly all Masters and Padawans severed the training bond near the Knighting ceremony, but the flow of the Force explicitly made it clear that this pair had not. If anything, they had reinforced it.

"Master Jinn. Knight Kenobi. Padawan Skywalker," Mace greeted the trio. "So far as we can be certain, your arrival is not suspected at this time."

"Has there been any luck ferreting out the spies?" Obi-Wan asked, ahead of Qui-Gon being able to speak.

Master Windu's very calm was a tell-tale in its own way, and Qui-Gon watched him thoughtfully. What was it he thought he was seeing... and did he care what Master Windu's thoughts were? 

No, not particularly, he decided in the next moment, as he listened.

"None yet." Mace gave a shrug. "Through the Temple, we have reminded our own to 'discuss not, Jedi Business'," he said in a good mimicry of Yoda's admonishing words. The small humor was his one clue to Qui-Gon that whatever path the other Jedi was on, they were still friends. And it did make the boy smile, showing that his serious shielding was not hiding all of the emotions.

Maybe the boy could find control over the clouds that Yoda saw. Mace hoped so, and realized they'd all been small-minded in that interview. If Qui-Gon, a man that had almost Fallen and come back from that, was not the best possible choice to handle a volatile Initiate, Mace was merely a Padawan himself. 

"Still, the warning to come back as quietly as we could indicates there is concern that is not enough," Obi-Wan reasoned, though he had smiled at the mimicry.

"Droids and remotes, Master Windu?" Anakin asked, as he had been told Padawans were expected to contribute and question.

"Possibly, Padawan Skywalker," the Master answered the boy. "We have reduced our usage of droids, at least in certain levels of the Temple."

Qui-Gon nodded, proud of Anakin for thinking to step in, to add to the discussion. "Did you have any luck with... what I asked you, Master Windu?" 

Mace frowned and looked up that fraction he needed to be able to meet Qui-Gon's eyes. "That is better spoken of when you meet with the Council, Master Jinn," he said firmly. 

Obi-Wan did not let his disappointment show; he didn't like the idea of Qui-Gon having a private meeting with the Council. Part of that was because Qui-Gon and impulsively speaking his mind had often landed them deep in the poodoo. The other was that he had a need to prove that he was truly ready for his new duties, and was not just an extension of his former Master.

Anakin looked up at the Knight. "So you will show me the Temple, Knight Kenobi?" he asked formally, as they were not in private where names were normally used. 

"Unless I have other duties to meet," he agreed, but Anakin reminded him of his sworn duty, a vow made in his heart. Anakin was not to be alone, if it could be helped at all. Not yet, not until the boy was more confident in himself.

Qui-Gon dipped his head, agreeing with Mace's decision, then glanced at his partner and his Padawan, nodding his approval. "I hope you enjoy it, Ani. Obi-Wan... don't get lost, yes?" 

"It was just that one time…" Obi-Wan said, as he slipped his hand to Ani's shoulder to lead him on the tour.

"So he followed in your shoes?" Mace asked of Qui-Gon, loud enough for Obi-Wan to hear and file away, to learn when and how his Master had gotten lost in the Temple. Mace turned to guide Qui-Gon a different direction than the usual, as they had moved this meeting to a lesser used room with better shielding.

"I suppose you might make that argument," Qui-Gon said, his eyes flicking at Mace in a moment's amused smile, before following him towards this meeting. What, exactly, was going to be said here? How many of the uncomfortable truths Anakin had forced he and Obi-Wan to face was he going to put before the Council Masters now, and how many were going to wait? 

He'd find out soon enough. 

The chamber opened to show Yoda, Saesee Tiin, Shaak Ti, and Ki-Adi-Mundi waiting for them, a much reduced number from the usual twelve. Mace took his seat near Yoda, serving as the Master of the Order now that he had brought Qui-Gon here.

"Much unrest, yes, much," Yoda said without preamble. "Master Jinn, news of our enemy have you?"

Qui-Gon nodded, not rolling his shoulders or stiffening as he answered. "Some, at least, Master. We might have had somewhat less trouble had Master Koth come with you to Naboo... as he would have been most likely to realize that the patterning on our foe's body was not melanistic, but a far more extensive and elaborate pattern of tattooing on another Zabrak.

"Though the Iridonians we spoke to all recoiled from the images, and were most displeased." 

They all looked surprised at that revelation. Mace leaned forward on his chair. "Did you learn why they were displeased? Did you learn if the tattooing meant something specific?"

"Master Koth may be willing to investigate more closely, once he returns for handling a flare of violence on Tinnel IV," Ki-Adi-Mundi offered. "As it may be easier for one of the same species to get such answers."

Qui-Gon nodded -- that was definitely a point worth considering, and an avenue worth exploring. "They said only that those markings were forbidden to them, that it was an obscenity. One growled that 'those' were no longer Zabrak, but then would say no more." 

"Outcast societies are often preyed upon by the strong, using their insecurity against them," Shaak Ti stated. "There will be something to learn from following up on his species identity. But, have you learned anything to indicate if he truly was a continuation of the Sith?"

Obi-Wan's wishful thinking had spread to others, if that question was anything to go by. 

Qui-Gon studied her evenly, half-amazed at the question though he would not show it, and shook his head slightly. "Other than his ability to nearly rout myself _and_ Obi-Wan Kenobi, even acting in concert? No, Master. We have found nothing of who might have trained him so thoroughly." 

She let her disappointment ripple slightly, not in their efforts, but of hope for a quick end to this crisis. 

"At this point, Master Jinn, we are leaning toward this emergence being a true continuation," Mace Windu said, fixing the woman with a firm look for airing the doubt. "Given that the darkness laying upon the future has not abated. Meditations, even here in the seat of the Order, have failed to lift the shadows along certain lines.

"Including all attempts to see futures for key political figures," Mace finished, matching eyes with Qui-Gon, to make certain he knew that was the answer to his earlier question. "The Senate is not so much an inept body as one riddled with manufactured hostilities, and we need someone to better learn the political undercurrents to help us understand why and how they will be a part of this darkness."

Qui-Gon frowned his own displeasure at that Mace had been unable to see anything of the Chancellor's future, or what events might lie around him, what shatterpoints waiting to be triggered. If Mace could still not see... 

"I hope you're not considering me for that, Masters," he said, his voice holding a little wry warmth. 

"Force forbid," Mace answered in the same vein, and the other Masters all smiled or even chuckled. 

"Excellent negotiator you are, Master Jinn. Excessive uses of… demonstrative exercises, you have," Yoda said, amused by the idea. 

"It is our hope that the young Queen of Naboo would be willing to continue her alliance with us," Ki-Adi-Mundi told him. "If she were to choose to seek to represent her world at the end of her term, it is highly likely she will be elected, given the goodwill of her people at this time."

"And that, Master Jinn, is where you may be needed, to be an intermediary for us, to encourage her on that path. She seemed to favor you and your former Padawan during our stay there," Shaak Ti stated.

Well that was a relief, at least. 

"I think she would do many things for the protection of the Republic, for her people, and to serve the Force," Qui-Gon answered, thinking of the young Queen and her unshakable will fondly. "I doubt that it would take my intercession, but of course I would do so." 

"Continue you will, investigation of the Sith. Knight Kenobi as well." Yoda looked at the student of his own former Padawan. "Difficult for you to do, I think not." The small Jedi Grand Master had an eerie knowing in his eyes, but he left it at that.

"The Council has seen fit to encourage Masters and Knights to travel in pairs, as much as possible, given the dangers found in isolation," Mace explained for the fact the new Knight was not being pulled to an assignment of his own.

"A wise course," Qui-Gon agreed. 

"So thought we," Yoda told him. "Go, now; much planning have you."

Qui-Gon dipped his head slightly at Yoda's dismissal. "I do have much to do," he agreed, though he considered holding his ground, bringing to the Council the grave truth Anakin's child's question had shown him now... but no. 

He would come to his Master's master later, alone. And if Yoda would not listen, then to Mace, equally alone. "I have a question, Masters... has Master Dooku been convinced to return to the field?" 

Yoda's mouth twisted in displeasure, though it was Mace who answered. "No, Qui-Gon, he has not. The last we knew, he was still holding his title on Serreno." The weight of disgrace was heavy in those words; so few ever turned their back fully on the Order, and yet Dooku had long been absent from the Temple, and field work.

Qui-Gon frowned, turning towards Mace. What? 

But then, how had he had the vision that he had? The danger, the sharp cadences of Neimoidian dialect, the lightsaber at his belt... Perhaps it had been from a different time? A previous time? "Thank you," he said politely, and turned to go as he had been advised to.

Mace had met his eyes, and possibly sensed some of the man's discord, for he started to open his mouth, but then held his silence as Qui-Gon left them. Whatever was under that request for information, he would better learn in privacy with the elder Jedi. He respected Qui-Gon Jinn; they all did. It was just a matter of learning how to curb that tendency towards being a maverick, the mark of a Gray Jedi, that bothered the Council.

He glanced to Yoda, and silently, they agreed that this should be left in Mace's hands. All too often, Yoda and Qui-Gon came to verbal sparring in their discussions. Mace wasn't much better at containing his irritation with the elder man, but Qui-Gon got less frustrated than when he was up against the nine hundred years of experience Yoda possessed.

++++

The noise from inside the quarters indicated that all three Jedi were within, prompting Mace to wonder if Kenobi had opted not to claim his own quarters yet. Given that they were likely to leave Coruscant in pursuit of their mission soon, it made sense, yet Mace couldn't help but feel there was more at work.

However, he put that aside in favor of seeing what he could learn from Qui-Gon Jinn, and raised a hand over the sensor plate, to alert those inside that they had a guest.

Anakin quieted from his laughter, as he had wheedled the story of Obi-Wan's adventure in the Temple that had led to him getting lost out of the Knight. It had seemed the best way to help Master Qui-Gon's mood, which was one reason Obi-Wan had allowed himself to be wheedled at all, even though he was supposed to be evaluating his list of suspicious incidents to find their next lead.

"I'll get it, Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan offered, schooling his own smile into a calm demeanor as he went to open the door. "Ahh, Master Windu, please come in." He pitched his voice to announce the guest, and was relieved when Anakin decided to shy away into the room that had been Obi-Wan's until recently. The boy was being diligent in catching up on the lessons most younglings and Initiates had already learned by the age Anakin was.

"Knight Kenobi, it is good to see you again," Mace said, stepping into the quarters.

"And you," Obi-Wan said, bowing slightly. Twice now, Master Windu had come to join his master? 

Why?

That had been fast, Qui-Gon thought, interested by how quickly Mace had come to join him, and he lifted his hand in greeting. 

Mace inclined his head slightly to Obi-Wan and moved on over to take a seat with the elder Jedi. "I felt it best to come and offer you a chance to speak in less formal circumstances," he told Qui-Gon. "This can be as private as you wish," he added with a slight motion to where Obi-Wan was, leaving it to the other Master to choose if the Knight should remain. "But your last question led me to believe there might be more issues of which I should know, as I seek where the future is breaking around us."

Qui-Gon's mouth quirked in a slow smile, and he looked at Obi-Wan with one eyebrow lifting slightly. He intended to keep no secrets from his beloved, but there was no need for Obi-Wan to hear it again, or to be caught in the middle of he and Mace having a sharp debate, if it came to that.

"I believe I will go find my new quarters, Master Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan offered after weighing the Force impressions in the room. "I need to clear my things out of Anakin's room, after all." He gave a small bow to Mace, and then left the two alone, going to find what apartment in the Knight's wing was open… not that he expected to use it much at all. 

"As you wish, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said, nodding slightly, and then he turned back to Mace, sighing quietly. "You're right, Mace. There is more. 

"I had a vision, old friend," he admitted softly. "It had the strongest sense of 'Now', and I... I was seeing through other eyes, hearing through other ears, as though they were my own. I heard many species' languages, a Neimodian voice among them... unfamiliar devices, and... great danger. A check at 'my' hip, and... _his_ lightsaber was there. 

"I woke a few moments later, before I could see any more." 

The younger Jedi considered that. "You do tend to deal in the 'now', my friend," Mace said to address the first. "As to the rest… perhaps your former Master has found something that can pull him back into the Order, and he has taken action proper to a Jedi Master of his standing." Even as he said it, though, Mace Windu did not hold out much hope for this. He recalled how cold, distant, even arrogant the man had been. It was one reason that Mace had quickly excused Qui-Gon of fault in the matter of Xanatos. The elder Jedi was blind to the arrogance, having been trained by one who carried it like a cloak.

"Perhaps," Qui-Gon agreed, though he held almost as little hope of that as he could see in Mace's face. "I would like to believe so."

He was quiet for a moment, two, then spoke again. "Obi-Wan and I were discussing the influences behind the many Falls our Order has seen, especially of our non-human brethren. Anakin was with us... 

"And a simple child's question shook my very understanding of everything our Order has done for so long, Mace..." 

Mace folded himself into more of a listener's pose where he sat, curious as to this development. "And what question is that, old friend?" he asked.

"We were discussing the influences of anger and envy, the ways in which the Republic spreads from the core, and pushes other species into the Rim worlds, into positions of greater hardship... and Anakin asked us, so innocently for a boy born a slave... 'So the very system that the Jedi Order is sworn to uphold reinforces the Fall of people'?" 

Mace Windu looked at Qui-Gon with an instant rebuttal rising to his lips… and he swept it away. He believed in the Jedi with all his soul, having been brought into the Order before his own people had even given him a Name. Yet that question, when he was so concerned with the corruption plaguing the Senate and other bodies of power, was one that he could not shy away from.

"That is a thought that would bear many meditations, I believe," he admitted at last.

"...I'm glad I am not the only one that was so struck by it," Qui-Gon agreed softly. "You know I serve the living Force, Mace. You know I love the Order, and the good we have done. But how have we let such evil as slavery flourish in so many of the Rim worlds so long? How have we so often aided in the oppression of the least fortunate? 

"What are we doing, staying here in the center of power and doing its bidding, instead of helping those who _need_ our protection?" 

"We send missions out," Mace protested, but it was a weak protest. "The Rim worlds are all sparsely settled, and the Jedi Order is barely able to keep up with the needs of the more densely populated worlds, Qui-Gon. It is our duty to protect as many as we can, and the current status allows for that."

It did not, however, set well on him that Qui-Gon's side of this was entirely too accurate. Did Mace know for a fact the Rim worlds were sparsely populated? All of that data came from the Senate. With the maneuverings recently of the Trade Federation, out in a lesser traveled area of space, could they be complacent with what the Senate reported?

Yet, even weighing those concerns, the very real agitation on many Core and Inner worlds that had taken Knights and Masters away on missions remained a fact. In doubling up, it had necessitated some Masters who rarely left the Temple to go into the field once more, just to meet demands.

"That is our duty," Qui-Gon agreed, but he was pleased that Mace's protest sounded so weak, that he had made Anakin's point so strongly to one of the most dynamic Masters of the Order. Mace Windu loved the Order, possibly more fiercely than he himself did, and he would not easily let go of this. Because he was pleased, and relieved, he did not ask 'But who do we have the greatest duty to?' 

Mace would not need to be told that question. 

Mace drew in a breath, letting it out slowly, before tipping his head to one side. "Some clouds marking the path of Skywalker have shifted, I should tell you. But Yoda remains cautious on the matter." He gave Qui-Gon a deeply searching look. "Some paths, my friend, that I glimpsed, do not have you in them. I caution you to be careful of your headlong plunges into danger as you train this boy."

Qui-Gon nodded his agreement. "I will be cautious, much as I can. That first night on Naboo -- Obi-Wan saw a reality in which I followed the Sith too closely, engaged Maul without him, and was slain. 

"If you, too, are seeing paths where I am not... I _must_ be careful." 

Mace let his face show his surprise at the capitulation to good sense, then gave a small smile. "I believe the galaxy just wobbled a bit."

Qui-Gon blamed his recent week with Jar-Jar Binks for the sudden impulse to stick his tongue out at his old friend's blatant surprise, and the commentary. "Mmm. Perhaps. But I will yet do what I must." 

"As ever," Mace said with a resigned sigh. "Have you had your evening meal yet?" he asked, rather than make this completely about duty and philosophy. "I know you and your Padawan and Obi-Wan will be leaving again in the near future, but it would be good to share a meal, before events press in too tightly once again."

"No, I haven't," Qui-Gon answered, "and yes, old friend, I would enjoy that." 

Mace nodded, pleased, even as he filed away both major parts of the conversation for later contemplation.

++++

Obi-Wan figured he'd been away long enough. He'd caught up with his own friends in the process of determining which empty apartment suited him best for storing his belongings, and sleeping in on the rare occasions he was in the Temple without his partner. Bant and Reeft were both in residence, and they'd shared a meal and gossip. Now, he was ready to actually do the moving, and had waved them off. He had little enough as it were, and there was no need to stress Anakin more by introducing him to more strangers.

He let himself in, aware instantly that his Master was not present as the door slid open. That made him reach out… ahh, distracted among his peers for the moment. Which meant Obi-Wan needed to check on the boy.

"Ani?" he called softly, in case the boy was asleep.

Anakin rolled to his feet from where he'd been studying data-chips, waving around the arm of the couch before he was fully in sight. "Hi," he said, grinning at seeing that Obi-Wan was alone, and not with others. "Did you have a good evening? It's... peaceful, here."

At least, it was peaceful _in_ the Temple. The rest of the planet wasn't. At all. 

"With a limitation on where 'here' ends, Ani?" Obi-Wan questioned, catching a hint of that in the boy. Obi-Wan came over and crouched in front of the boy. "Did you eat? I'm sure you found the synthesizer already." 

Obi-Wan had been amazed at how quickly the boy found food and drink, in new places or on the ships… and Qui-Gon had had to make it clear that food security was important in handling Anakin.

"Yes," Anakin agreed with the 'limitation' question, nodding, and then he nodded. "I did find it, and ate a little. Master Qui-Gon said he was going out to eat with Master Windu, and so I should." 

"Do you want to help me move my things, and then I'll take you to the commissary for a bigger selection of food?" Obi-Wan asked. "That way we can go by the dispensary, and see about getting you anything else you need for the room that is yours now." Another pointer had been to help Ani understand his freedom by reinforcing the concept of owning other things, of having privacy.

"Sure, I'll help," Anakin agreed instantly -- he liked being able to be helpful, to show that he wanted to -- before he frowned in concern. "I... I'm pushing you out of your room? But -- " 

But he and Master Qui-Gon were obviously together -- he'd wondered, the first couple of weeks, if he was failing to understand them, because they seemed to always sleep apart. But then there had been the night Obi-Wan tucked him into bed, and after that they had been more likely to be in one room -- and happy with it; he didn't want to be a problem! 

Obi-Wan reached out and ruffled the boy's short hair. "This is a dual chamber for a reason, Ani. A Master, or a Knight, who has a Padawan, keeps an apartment like this, and it is expected that their Padawan sleep in the smaller room. I am no longer our Master's Padawan, so that room is now yours. But, when we are together, the three of us, I will still be here as much as you allow me to be, Anakin. I will not interfere with your training, with the bond you must establish, but I enjoy helping." //And being near Qui-Gon, but that is another matter.//

//'As much as you allow me to be'... what?// 

Those words made _no_ sense, and he felt his brow and nose scrunching up with his confusion. Obi-Wan was a Knight, powerful and strong, while he was... his fingers brushed the thin tail of hair he never would have worn on his own. Why did it matter what _he_ allowed, when Qui-Gon was the Master? 

And why had he said 'our Master' in such a... strange... tone of voice? Warm, somehow, and... 

"Ani?" Obi-Wan questioned, uncertain why the boy was confused. He refused to panic. He could fix whatever he'd done. //Qui-Gon will be so disappointed if I upset the boy.//

Anakin blinked as he lifted his head, seeing Obi-Wan's concern in his eyes, but he was so confused. He tipped his head a little, and after a few moments he gave up and asked. "...what difference does it make what _I_ 'allow'? 

"I mean, I like you, I like having you around, and you're fun! But..." 

Obi-Wan shifted from crouching to sitting on the couch, trying to fathom why this didn't make sense to Anakin. And then he kicked himself a little, for applying his life experience as a measure against which to determine Anakin's knowledge.

"Anakin, there is little in the Jedi Temple that is more sacred than the bond between Padawan and Master. Every other Master and Knight in residence will assist the pair to reach the right level of rapport, so that the teachings go smoother." Obi-Wan gave a nervous chuckle. "Qui-Gon and I had a very rocky start to finding that, because of how old and desperate I was for a Master, as well as his past.

"I do not want you to run into any trouble with him. But it is not usual for the former Padawan to stay so close to their former Master. That makes this situation new, and I wish to be mindful of your needs, Anakin." Obi-Wan meant that. If this boy's future was clouded, he wanted to do everything he could to uncloud it, rather than risk Qui-Gon to losing another Padawan.

Anakin frowned slightly, cocking his head as he listened, his eyes searching Obi-Wan's thoughtfully. That... almost? made sense? 

He could barely believe that the two of them, who worked so perfectly together, so smoothly, had ever had real difficulty, but he could see the truth in Obi-Wan's eyes. "I don't want there to be trouble either. 

"But... I don't think I really understand. I -- you say 'Master' so differently, like it means... I don't know." 

//Oh this is where it gets interesting,// Obi-Wan thought to himself, even as he wondered if this should wait. //No, you know you are violating the Code, and if you wish to keep this, you need to be certain Anakin is not the weak point of the new way Qui-Gon has set for us.//

"The Code precludes building strong attachments, Anakin," he began softly. "Padawans are encouraged to lean into their Masters during training, and then transition to the more careful friendship that is within approved limitations. A Jedi's duty is to the people, and strong attachments can cloud judgment.

"I… am questioning the wisdom of this," Obi-Wan told the boy. "And I have formed a deep attachment to our Master. Neither he nor I will let that interfere with your place in his life, Anakin. Which is why you have the ability to remind me if I infringe on your time with him."

Anakin considered, turning that over in his head and trying to understand. "The Code says that you -- we -- should just... stop loving, because of... what, growing up? A ceremony? 

"That's stupid, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as the boy's words just came out like that, but he quickly petted Anakin's hair, to show he was not laughing at Anakin, just the concept. "Ani, you have such a different view of it all. I have been raised in the Order's keeping since I was a small baby. It's all I have ever known, and I truly don't know my family as more than biographical data. Master Qui-Gon grew up within the Order as well, though he is aware of his family ties to a greater degree than I am.

"For me, not making attachments always made sense, because I have to give my all to the Order, to those we protect," Obi-Wan said. "I have seen… awful things, because of attachments. They lead to overwhelming emotion, and a Jedi is not supposed to let any emotion cloak their will." He sighed softly. "It can make a Jedi Fall to the Dark Side. I saw that, when love took someone too far down a path… but love also stopped him." He did not say it was Qui-Gon, not yet. There would be time later, to help Anakin understand their Master. But he wanted that cautionary tale there, beside the fact that Obi-Wan was deliberately breaking the Code.

Anakin blinked up at him, though the quick, gentle ruffle to his hair had been reassuring, and he had smiled. He thought about that, and his heart ached for his friend, for Qui-Gon, for every other Jedi that -- 

"You... didn't know your mom? I -- none of you really did? That..." 

He could only think of one thing at a time, that warning story falling away for later as he stared at the idea of that. 

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "There are many nurturing Masters in the Temple, Anakin. We don't lack for affection as younglings," he said. He let his face soften, remembering one of his earliest meetings with Qui-Gon, though he had not known the man's name then. "Many Jedi find peace in going to the crêche, checking on and soothing the younglings. But no, most of us have no memories of biological families, and little contact if we do."

That at least was good, and he nodded. It made sense, too, from what he'd seen of the world. "Everyone needs family," he said, "so the Order is yours. Everyone's here, I think. 

"That's not so bad, then." It still wasn't right, but it was at least better than he had first thought. "You said you and Master Qui-Gon had 'formed a deep attachment'. Is that... no, it has to be something to keep secret, doesn't it?" 

Obi-Wan nodded seriously. "We ought to have explained that before we came here, Ani," he told the boy. "It has to wait, for after we manage the Sith problem, for us to actually challenge the Council on things we have learned." The Knight had no doubt that once important issues were laid to rest that Qui-Gon would take this all the way up with his dogged persistence.

It made Obi-Wan that much more in love with his Master, because while there was a selfish component to the concept of being allowed to bond, there would be the edge of how many Knights had chosen to step down, rather than break the code over the attachments made? Those were rumored and known, carrying less stigma and more disappointment, rather than the outright shock of a Master leaving the Order.

"It's okay," Anakin replied, reaching to squeeze Obi-Wan's fingers quickly, flashing a smile. "I wouldn't have said anything anyway. I'm used to keeping relationships secret; plenty of owners disapproved, pretty much for no better reason.

"Just, can you find me earplugs somewhere, if you're going to be here most nights?" 

Obi-Wan had the grace to flush at that. "I thought I'd engaged shielding every time!" he protested, but he pulled Ani close and gave him a warm hug. As things settled for the three of them, he found himself more ashamed of having tried to reject the boy, and knew it now for jealousy and fear.

"Mm, you forgot, I guess?" Anakin settled in against his side, hugging him back, and then, after a few moments of enjoying the contact, looked up. "Weren't we supposed to be moving your stuff?" 

"And feeding you," Obi-Wan agreed, smiling. "You work inside the concept of family, Anakin. Does that mean I should call you little brother?" he asked, light and gentle, but wanting to offer Anakin a claim on him that Anakin would prefer. "Or is it enough to be friends?"

"I've never had a brother," Anakin said thoughtfully, and then grinned. "That would be great! But you don't have to." 

Obi-Wan let his face go serious. "I want to, Anakin." This boy mattered to Qui-Gon. He made Obi-Wan feel lighter at times, with his humor, and he made Obi-Wan think, with his outside perspective. This was something too important to do halfway.

"Okay then, big brother," Anakin said, testing the words as much as agreeing. They felt good, deep in his chest, and he bounced up to his feet. Obi-Wan slid to his own feet behind him, and they settled to the task of moving the things Obi-Wan needed regularly into Qui-Gon's room, and the rest to his new apartment. It would be a good night now, and a brighter future.

Even Yoda, elsewhere in the Temple in deep meditation, felt an easing of some paths.

++++

_"We've been invited to match against Masters Windu and Billaba, as she returned last evening."_

Obi-Wan was absolutely wishing he'd been doing more than basics of lightsaber training with Anakin lately. Trying to refresh Djem So with Qui-Gon hardly counted either, not when it came to the level he needed in order to keep up with these two masters.

Fortunately, Qui-Gon and he were so well-matched and leaning into the bond to better coordinate their efforts against the other two. On the sidelines, Anakin had been instructed to watch the combat, and file away as many points as he could to ask about later. Obi-Wan had tuned him, and the other spectators, out, trying to fall fully into the Force and the battle dance.

Sith-spit, but Billaba was as fast and cunning as her former Master! Obi-Wan had been locked into combat with her for most of the session so far, fighting a holding pattern. He needed to find a way to break the stalemate --

\-- and he felt, more than saw, as Windu landed a backhand strike in the same moment his hlit slashed down on Qui-Gon's wrist as the elder man was changing his grip for a different strike. The blow was hard enough to wind, having caught Qui-Gon in the midriff perfectly, and the lightsaber clattered down as it hissed off.

Obi-Wan didn't even think. Qui-Gon needed moments to recover his breath, moments that in real combat would not happen. The Knight tangled Billaba's blade off to her weaker side, thrusting his hand out toward his Master's saber. It obeyed the reach, jumping to his hand and igniting so that he could whirl and parry Windu's incoming strike. 

Now, Obi-Wan moved fully into Ataru, preferring it for contending with dual opponents and double blades. He was well-versed in the Form, as it was his own Master's foremost style. With his blades guided more by the Force than vision, he was able to work both of his opponents back away from Qui-Gon, giving the man those needed moments to breathe.

As he knew the other man was ready to join in, Obi-Wan executed a spinning, leaping combination that Qui-Gon recognized from Naboo; the style of the Sith Warrior was something Obi-Wan could and would adapt, where it suited him. His feet and the two blades pushed Billaba into Windu's space just enough to cause them to have to regroup, and Obi-Wan somersaulted back, releasing his Master's green-bladed lightsaber back to the waiting Force pull.

He was smiling as they squared off against the Masters, side by side, aware that he had just done something above and beyond his previous skill levels. That he could feel Qui-Gon's pride in him made it all the better as they prepared to continue the battle.

++++

"Well that was definitely a first," Obi-Wan said, before they'd even cleared the salle doors on their way back to quarters, having fought the pair to a draw by Master Yoda's decree. Anakin was bouncing around them, full of excitement for how intensely they had managed the combat.

"Taking a draw?" he asked.

"No, having to hand back _his_ lightsaber," Obi-Wan teased, as so many memories of the opposite being true came to mind.

Qui-Gon made a low, amused noise, though he was breathing hard even yet, and said mildly, "I think you're right. Definitely, in a situation where you had held on to your own..." 

Obi-Wan had to laugh at that, grinning with all of the energy of a good lightsaber duel, of flowing that freely in the Force with his beloved Master. If they had not been in the halls of the Temple, he would gladly have kissed the man then and there. "I did eventually stop losing it. And you were always best at finding it."

" _You_ lost your lightsaber?" Anakin asked, his eyes widening, his head tilting up at Obi-Wan, stunned. He could barely imagine that, not from everything he had seen of his new-found brother.

"Frequently. I think at least the first six planets we visited, maybe twice on one of them?" Obi-Wan reassured Anakin, seeing this as a good moment to help the boy understand such things happened. "Your lightsaber is your life, and you must be mindful of it, but it is a tool, and beings will separate you from your tools."

Qui-Gon nodded his approval at Obi-Wan's phrasing, at his admission and the gentle lesson in the words. "Beings, or events. As you just saw, Ani, no one escapes that fact. 

"And I was pleased to be good at it, Obi-Wan, that _is_ one of the tasks expected of a Master." 

Anakin filed that strange fact beside the expected failure rate on building new lightsabers. His new life was _so_ strange in some ways. Obi-Wan reached over and ruffled his hair fondly, since he couldn't kiss his Master silly. This was one spar he would always remember happily.

++++

Eeth Koth was not overwhelmingly pleased that as soon as he returned to the Temple, Masters Yoda and Windu wished him to seek out Master Jinn, but duty was his first calling. He had not been able to go with the Council to Naboo because of unrest elsewhere that had drawn him away just after the initial meeting about Jinn and the warrior on Tatooine. 

There had been suspicions in his mind at the time, based on Jinn's descriptions of the warrior's appearance and agility and strength, that a dark part of his species' past was coming to light. With this request to seek the maverick Jedi out, he wondered if his suspicions had proven too valid.

He arrived at the Master's quarters after refreshing his memory on where Jinn resided; the human was so rarely in residence after all. He then palmed a hand over the sensor to notify the inhabitant of the apartment that he was present.

Qui-Gon blinked for a moment before he got to his feet to cross to the door. "Go on with your exercise, Ani," he told his Padawan, before he finished crossing the space. 

He dipped his head to the other Master. "Good afternoon, Master Koth. Will you come in?" he asked. 

"Certainly," Eeth said with a small inclination of his head, radiating calm and rigid mental discipline. It, and his high resistance to pain, had always made him adept at entering the worst of the troubles that needed Jedi interaction. He noted the boy had been marked as humans did, with the shorn hair and braid. So the Council had relented for the child to be trained. It was not so unknown; at four, he'd been considered too old to train and the Council had changed their minds. He had not been certain in that first meeting with Anakin Skywalker, erring to the side of caution mainly because their best seers could not find a clear destiny for the boy.

Anakin ignored that he'd been observed briefly, focused instead on the minute Force Manipulations necessary to work through the puzzle in front of him.

Qui-Gon tipped his hand to offer Eeth Koth any of the seats in the room, waited for him to choose one, and went to acquire the datapad with all of the relevant images of the fallen Sith before he came to sit with him. "I think I should apologize, Master Koth, for what you are about to see, but I -- we all -- need your aid." 

The Force rippled slightly, and Eeth inclined his head to Master Jinn, sitting on the edge of the couch he'd chosen. "My suspicions must be correct, for both the request for me to come here so quickly, and your words," he said softly. "The warrior you fought on Tatooine, he is of my species, is he not?" 

Qui-Gon nodded, slow and solemn. "He was, yes," he agreed aloud, "but apparently a stranger to the people of your world -- or at least, if he was not, they had no interest in telling me otherwise. 

"Here," he said, and handed him the datapad. He was not going to ask Eeth Koth why he had said nothing during their meeting -- he knew perfectly well. Eeth Koth did not speak of suppositions. He spoke when he was certain of matters. 

Eeth Koth took the datapad, and made himself stay centered in the Force. What he saw was anathema to all he revered in life, even as violent as his native species was. As a Jedi, the corruption of those Iridonians given over as 'Nightbrothers' rankled his sense of peace. 

"Was? I take it you have seen to the removal of this Zabrak from existence?" he finally asked, keeping his tone level. "A good thing, if so, Master Jinn, for those who belong to Dathomir are a level of violence far above other Iridonians indeed. And this one appears to have been especially dedicated to his cult."

"Between Obi-Wan and I, yes," Qui-Gon agreed, "we did. It was a very difficult battle. You said... 'Dathomir'? I don't believe I have ever heard that planet's name before. And... what cult?" 

Eeth Koth made a primitive warding sign against evil and darker things, despite being a long-time Jedi Master. "Dathomir is a harsher world than even my own, and it runs strong in currents of the Force that are Dark and violent," he said in very hushed tones. "I know little of the truths, but if you search for Dathomir in the archives, perhaps there will be more there than the legends I know."

"Then I shall," Qui-Gon agreed, nodding once. The sight of that gesture from the so-composed Master had his nerves prickling. What was this planet, and what were the legends that Eeth Koth referred to? "A planet such as that, could it be that that is where our old enemy has finally emerged from again?" 

Eeth considered, then had to spread his hands wide in ambiguity. "If it is, then they will be more powerful than ever, if the legends are even half-true," he admitted. "I will assist, as you need me to, Master Jinn. But I admit that I do not have quite the emotional distance from the subject at hand that is respected among our Order. In this, the fact I grew up within my culture to a point works against me."

Qui-Gon shook his head slightly, looking across the space at the other Master. "The Sith are to be my hunt, it seems, and this knowledge will help greatly. I will look to the archives, but if you would be willing to tell me these legends, I would be grateful." 

Eeth Koth considered, then nodded. "Not this night, Master Jinn, pressed as I know we are for time. It is not suitable for one so young to hear," he indicated Anakin, "and I need time to find my reserves before I state them aloud. It was a tiring mission," he added by way of apology.

"Of course, Master Koth. Send for me whenever you feel that you are ready to tell such tales?" Qui-Gon offered, hopeful that his face was calmer than he really felt. 

"Hopefully on the morrow," Eeth told him, rising to his feet. "May the Force be with you and your Padawan." He would go and spend the night in meditation to pull those memories from his childhood forward, break them free of a child's fear, so that he could adequately guide the other Master.

Qui-Gon rose to walk back to the door with him, murmuring, "And with you." 

++++

Bant Eerin and Siri Tachi alike had looked for Obi-Wan, and been very puzzled when he was not available in the quarters that had been registered as his. After checking the lake and the salle both with no luck, Bant excused herself from Siri and made her way to inquire with Qui-Gon as to if he knew where Obi-Wan might be. It was a long shot, in her eyes, given how tense the pair had been prior to their last mission, but it was a start.

Her polite request for entry was met by the new Padawan, Anakin Skywalker. She had heard things about him, but it was always her policy to only listen to her own impressions.

"Greetings, Padawan Skywalker; is Master Jinn available?"

"Bant?" came from inside the apartment, in Obi-Wan's voice. He did not sound upset or stressed, and that confused her briefly. Then she put it aside. Apparently, as they had so often in the past, the pair of Jinn and Kenobi were back in sync with each other.

Even though Obi-Wan had been granted his Knighthood. That did confuse her.

"Master Jinn is, but you must be Padawan Eerin, Obi — I mean, Knight Kenobi's friend," Anakin said, moving away so she could enter to see as Obi-Wan was standing up.

He was rising from the spot directly adjacent to Qui-Gon, on the couch. 

//So they are truly friends again,// she thought, and that pleased her. They had both seen so much trouble together. "Obi-Wan, Siri and I went by your new apartment, and when we could not find you, I decided to check here."

She was too used to her friend's minor changes in color to miss the flush on his ears.

"Ma — Qui-Gon, it seems my friends are calling," he said as he looked back at the elder man.

Qui-Gon's lips quirked in some faint amusement, and he made a quick, lightly shooing gesture with one hand. "Then go on, my friend. Bant, it's good to see you." 

"And you, Master Qui-Gon," she said with a happy expression for him. "A pleasure to meet you, Padawan Skywalker."

"Call me Anakin, please, when we don't have to be formal? I feel like I know you already, because _he_ talks about you and his other friends a lot," the boy said honestly.

"I did talk a lot," Obi-Wan admitted, grabbing his outer robe and Temple shoes. "Stay out of trouble while I'm gone?" he asked, grinning as he said it.

The boy just looked at him in all innocence, and Bant could feel the good splashes of the Force connecting the humans.

"I'm certain he will be as good at that as you always were," Qui-Gon said, his voice absolutely mild. 

Obi-Wan looked up from pulling his shoes on. "Are you certain it wasn't you I was speaking to?" he shot at Qui-Gon with a smile. He then hastily bounced out the door, catching Bant's hand to pull her along, laughing.

Qui-Gon snorted at the closing door, but Obi-Wan could feel the wash of affection across the training-bond between them even as something thudded lightly against the door.

"Things are very well between you and Master Qui-Gon," Bant said warmly, and caught the further flushing of his skin.

"Yes, yes they are," Obi-Wan agreed, letting her lead to whatever location the others would have absconded to. All of his friends were either Senior Padawans now or actually facing their Trials, if he hadn't missed news while they were on Ilum.

Bant investigated her friend by both Force sense and sight, then reached up and covered her mouth. "Obi-Wan, did you…"

Her best friend of her life made a slightly strangled sound, before looking at her in defeat.

"I never should have chosen you as my watcher the night I decided to test my alcohol tolerances."

"You told him? And it is good?" Bant was not condemning him at all, knowing that Obi-Wan had wrestled with his feelings since he was at least sixteen. Even when Obi-Wan and Siri went through their mutual discovery phase, Bant had known where her friend's heart was determined to be. She had never expected anything to happen, had been almost certain it would not, given how tightly Obi-Wan held himself to the Code, but she thought it good. 

"Yes, it is good." Obi-Wan kept his voice very low. "We… are keeping it secret, because of the mission we have, to find the Sith. It would do more harm than good to have that argument with the Council right now, we both think."

Bant nodded. "I will keep it, as I always have, my friend." She squeezed his hand. "Now, let's find everyone, and you can fill us in on the dangers our Masters are only whispering about!"

++++

Anakin was, without a doubt, completely exhausted and sore in every muscle he had from running through an 'obstacle course' with Obi-Wan early in the day, lightsaber training in the forms from Qui-Gon at midday, and actual sparring against Obi-Wan who never, ever stayed on the ground that evening. He was flung across one of the chairs, peering across at the Knight who was asking Anakin questions from his lessons, quizzing him.

Anakin kept answering, until Obi-Wan finally nodded, deciding it was enough.

"Obi-Wan, I know you are studying a lot of things too; why are you helping so much with the lessons part?" Anakin asked in curiosity.

Qui-Gon lifted his head from the research he was doing, curious to hear what Obi-Wan's response would be. 

Obi-Wan pretended like he hadn't even noticed Qui-Gon's attention shift, getting that wicked yet innocent look on his face as he leaned toward Anakin's place, as if to whisper. Then, in a voice easily heard by the Master Jedi sitting across the room, he answered. "I figure at his age, he's already forgotten half of this. Far more recent for me."

Anakin started to laugh, and quickly covered his mouth to try and quiet it. He was getting used to the idea of poking gentle fun at his elders, and had watched them do it, but that was treading on a possible vulnerable point. Qui-Gon Jinn was not young, for a human.

Qui-Gon arched an eyebrow at his former Padawan's back, and glanced around. "Oh, do you think so, my Knight?" There, one of the brilliantly glowing drinks popular this month in the cafeteria... he reached out with just enough of the Force to lift the entire contents of the glass out of it, wrapping it into globe and sending it up to and along the ceiling, his eyes never again leaving Obi-Wan's shoulder. 

"I'm only thinking of you, Qui-Gon, in your advanced -- "

Qui-Gon thanked the Force for perfect timing, as his orb of neon orange drink was precisely over Obi-Wan's head at that moment, and he released the Force, letting gravity take over. 

Obi-Wan's words cut off in a splutter, as the liquid soaked into his hair and tunic, dying it brilliantly orange, and Anakin absolutely lost any thought of being able to not laugh. Even as sore as he was from the day's work-outs, he was soon doubled up on his chair, holding his ribs, as he laughed himself silly.

Qui-Gon watched him spluttering and Anakin laughing, and said mildly, "Age will bring the ability to counter -- or at least sense -- such things as that, my young friend." 

Anakin wiped at his eyes and grinned at his Master, then shook his head. "I will remember, Master," he said, giggling as Obi-Wan Force-floated a towel to himself. The look on the Knight's face, pouting, yet amused as well, was priceless, and Anakin went to get another towel to clean up the spatter.

"I was only thinking of you," Obi-Wan said to Qui-Gon, with a faint tease in the words of what he might have been thinking of.

"Mmm," Qui-Gon murmured, his eyes amused, a trace of heat coming up in them, "and I do appreciate it. I am, indeed, not so young as I once was." 

"But I do concede, Master, that you more than have the skill to match such expertise," Obi-Wan said, his eyes flaring with more interest.

Anakin, returning, made a half-groaning noise, then chose to break up the flirting -- going at it carefully, but, he thought, rather adeptly. 

"Obi-Wan, did you find those ear plugs for me yet?" His question led to a stammering, flushed Obi-Wan almost instantly.

"...have I missed something?" Qui-Gon asked, looking between his former and current Padawans, arching one brow. Obi-Wan was turning some almost alarming shades... 

"No, I did. One night," Obi-Wan managed to choke out, even as Anakin oh so helpfully started helping him clean up from the splashed liquid. The Knight would not look at Qui-Gon as he tamped at his hair, but every peek of ear from the brisk toweling showed they were quite red.

It didn't, actually, take long for Qui-Gon to realize what Obi-Wan had to mean, and he felt _himself_ start to flush. "We -- oh. Ani, I am -- " 

"No, no, it's okay," Anakin grinned over at his master, still wanting to giggle at both of them for that it seemed like such a big deal to them. "I just..." 

He'd just wanted to join in the play, a little, like he would have with Mom. Obi-Wan dropped the towel in that very second, and reached, laying a warm hand on Anakin's shoulder at the first ripple of the Force being askew with his little brother.

"Ani, you can tease all you want," he promised sincerely, lighting with a smaller, kind smile for the boy as the flush began to fade. "It keeps us all grounded and centered on the bonds we have to one another, I think."

'The bonds we have to one another', Qui-Gon heard, and he felt his chest ache for a moment, a combination of pride and relief and joy pulsing deep inside him, something in the Force smoothing out a little more. Hearing Obi-Wan place his own claim of affection and play on Anakin... that could be only good. He hastened to add his agreement to Obi-Wan's words, steady-voiced, though his cheeks were still pinked with embarrassment that Anakin had had to hear -- "Obi-Wan is right, Ani. 

"Watch the groups of Knights and Masters when you are free, so long as we are here. You will see much of that kind of play between us." 

"Yes, Master Qui-Gon," Anakin said, before leaning into Obi-Wan and winding up with a hug because of it. 

"Off to soak, Ani," Obi-Wan said after a moment, realizing the boy hadn't actually had time to alleviate the long training day, and thinking it best from his own memories of such days. "My hair can wait for you to take a long one, so don't rush." 

"Still can't believe that much water…" Ani muttered, going off to do as told, because he was sore, and he was tired, and it was sinful luxury to be in a hot tub.

Qui-Gon snorted at Obi-Wan, making a beckoning motion at him as Anakin left their immediate presence. "Yes, you have so much hair to worry over," he said, amused, as Obi-Wan came into his reach. He wrapped an arm around him, then leaned in to just breathe the scent of him -- even though it was marred by the scent of the drink. 

Obi-Wan pressed into that hold, closing his eyes as he felt everything in Balance. "It is a rather lurid color," he protested, settling right where he could be held. Research and teaching and learning could be done for this day.

++++

Anakin was making his way back from a lesson with Master Plo Koon in finer manipulations of kinesis. He knew that this would get him to the meditation room where he was supposed to meet up with Obi-Wan quicker, but he hadn't known the Clawmouse Clan would be using this particular room for Feather Push until he'd already come through one of the open doorways.

Master Yoda didn't lay his ears back at least, continuing to lean on his gimer stick and call out gentle encouragement to the youngest ones. In this setting, the ancient Jedi was nowhere near the monster Anakin had subconsciously seen him as since his first interview with the Council.

Already committed to the course, Anakin skirted the edge of the room, trying not to disturb any of the younglings. These were the very small ones, nowhere near being Initiates yet… and he was only halfway around the room when one left her game and shot over, attaching herself to his leg.

"Hi!" The blue eyes looking up at him out of orange skin highlighted in white, framed by white and blue headtails and … horns?

Anakin blinked down at the small being, yes, his sense of the Force confirmed his first impression of 'female', even though she was not of a species he knew, and carefully patted her shoulder. "Um... hello?" 

He wasn't sure if that was a statement or a question, but what was he supposed to do with this tiny thing clinging to his leg and staring up at him? Her eyes were, like, half the size of her face! He hadn't often spent any time with little children, the few friends he had had on Tatooine were all close to his own age; what did he do? 

The small girl gave him an even brighter smile, her presence a pulsing spot in the Force against his senses. "Ahsoka," she told him, patting her chest. "You are SkyGuy."

Yoda was paying attention, without seeming to, as the encounter progressed, his ears picking up the nuances of knowledge in the youngling's speech. Had she Seen something concerning Skywalker? It was not unheard of for Seers to manifest Visions early. Some Togruta were advanced in that gift, sometimes to devastating tragic ends, if Yoda remembered history well enough.

How would Anakin Skywalker, supposed Chosen One, handle this encounter? Would Yoda need to watch the youngling more closely for this gift? He considered the present and future in one, while listening.

"Well, sort of? My name is Anakin Skywalker," he said, still looking down at her, turning the sound of 'SkyGuy' over in his head. "It's nice to meet you, Ahsoka, but aren't you supposed to be with your clan?" 

"For now." She hugged his leg tighter, then let go of him, going back to her partners in the game.

//Always in motion, the future is,// Yoda thought, even as he marked that in his mind for when the years passed and Ahsoka was of age to seek a teacher among the Knights and Masters. There were only five years between the pair, less a gap than even Dooku and Qui-Gon had known, yet if the Force willed, Yoda would facilitate it.

If Skywalker managed to prove his Master's faith, that was.

Anakin had no idea what had just happened, but the little one had gone back to her clan, and he still needed to meet Obi-Wan in the meditation room. He slipped to the end of the room, out the door, and broke into a fast jog to get there more quickly. 

Obi-Wan was waiting, patiently, as he had made it a point to clear his mind. Leading others on guided meditation was actually as instructive to the guide as the one being guided. When Anakin came in, a few minutes late, he just raised an eyebrow. 

"Padawan?" he inquired, politely.

"I'm sorry," Anakin said first, since they weren't home, where he could just explain, but out in the Temple, "I -- um -- I went to cut through one of the open rooms, and one of the youngling clans was playing Push-Feather in it. I tried to slip around without disturbing them, but one of them -- um -- 

"She kind of attached herself to my leg. I couldn't just shake her off, she has to have been, I don't know, three?" He held his hand down where the tops of her horns had been, staring at Obi-Wan. 

That made Obi-Wan's lips twitch to a smile. "The younglings are to be indulged within reason, no matter what, Anakin," he said with grace for the incident. "It is more than enough excuse for being late. Now sit, and calm your mind."

Anakin nodded and moved to sit down, casting another look at him, though. "She said something strange. She said I was 'SkyGuy', and that she was supposed to be with her clan 'for now'?" 

That made Obi-Wan consider the incident anew. "I see. Which Master was minding them?" He might need to look into this.

"Master Yoda," Anakin replied, instantly. The ancient being hadn't seemed nearly so frightening, quietly encouraging the little ones but that didn't mean he was at all sure of the small Master. "He looked like he wasn't paying any attention -- but he looked like it like a bounty-hunter watching a target looks like they're not paying attention." 

Obi-Wan half-laughed. "I know just what you mean, Padawan." Obi-Wan would approach the Master later. "Well, perhaps you should use this youngling as the focus of our meditation today, and see why she might have known a piece of your name. Or is there a different subject you wish to touch?"

"No, that's fine," Anakin agreed, since he was curious about that, too. 

Obi-Wan settled in for the lesson, then, curious what they would learn of Anakin's mysterious little girl.

++++

Obi-Wan sat back and rubbed at his face to clear the eye strain of staring at the very old data entries. His unease was deeply present, as he had finally found information for Qui-Gon on this 'Dathomir'. It was a very hostile planet, about as deadly to an unwary human as Kashyyyk, and had been highlighted by some long gone Jedi as a planet where the Force ran in corrupted patterns.

That Jedi had died of injuries and poisoning not long after making the entry she had sent to the Temple. 

Qui-Gon was working with Anakin, teaching him one of the more advanced shielding exercises, but his head lifted and turned towards Obi-Wan, concerned. The tales Eeth Koth had told him had unsettled him, and to now have Obi-Wan look -- feel -- so uneasy... 

Obi-Wan realized his mistake, turning to give his Master an apologetic look for not keeping himself better shielded, before rising to go get a drink.

Anakin could not go to that planet. But they needed to investigate, to be certain that Maul had originated there, and learn what they could of his history. That meant Obi-Wan would have to go, alone. Anakin was not yet at a point where he could be left with another master in the Temple for lessons, something that was semi-common when a master had a dangerous mission. 

Obi-Wan smoothed his face, calmed his presence but there was something resolute in the line of his shoulders that Qui-Gon mistrusted. He returned his attention to Anakin for the moment, informing himself that he would find out what was going on in his p -- his _partner_ 's, he told himself sternly -- partner's mind soon enough. 

Anakin, at least, had missed all of the silent byplay, focused so intently on his lesson and doing it perfectly. He didn't even notice when Obi-Wan came, drinks for all three of them, to sit and wait the lesson's ending. Anakin could tune out everything, shield fully from the life all around them and just listen to the Force within.

Qui-Gon reached out and took one of the offered drinks, returning to the lesson, very proud of Anakin for his concentration and his devotion to the task in front of him. Not surprising, really, Anakin most often gave all of his attention to whatever was immediately before him.

Not a bad trait, atll all. 

He would wait until the end of the lesson to ask Obi-Wan what he had found, possibly until Anakin had left their sides, even. 

Obi-Wan finished his drink, then settled on the floor in front of his chair in a meditative pose, showing the patience he had, at times, lacked as a Padawan. He did not intrude on Anakin, nor press for Qui-Gon's attention. He chose to meditate, to center himself fully, and merely wait for his partner to be available to him, so he could explain.

It did flit through his mind that if just went, Qui-Gon could not argue with him, but that way would end in his Master following him.

The feeling of Obi-Wan's presence settling out even more made Qui-Gon smile slightly, pleased. His partner was steadying more by the day, becoming more the magnificent Knight that he had known for the better part of a decade that Obi-Wan would be. Once Anakin was done, he told his young Padawan to go and see what the Temple mechanics were having trouble with this day, and once Anakin had run off grinning, he moved over next to his partner's side. 

Obi-Wan felt the closeness, and forced himself to come up, away from the myriad touches of Force-visions. Mindful of the moment, not lost in the future, he knew was necessary right now.

"Qui-Gon," he said, once he was certain that he had left the web of possibilities behind and was fully in the present. He reached out to take the elder man's hand, another anchor as he began determining how best to make his point.

"Yes, old friend?" he asked, looking into Obi-Wan's eyes as he wrapped his fingers around his partner's palm. "What did you find?" 

Obi-Wan met that gaze, forced himself not to duck his head down as he had so often in the past. "Dathomir is dangerous. There is a Force-sensitive culture there, but it runs Dark, from the entry I finally found. Like Kashyyyk, it is a deadly world to many humans. The Jedi that investigated it, a very long time ago, did not live much past returning to the Temple. She died of poisoning and injuries taken there, and I don't think she managed to write up all of her notes, given how small the entry is."

Qui-Gon nodded slowly, listening to his assessment of the situation. "The Nightsisters, Master Koth called those of the Dark Side who live on Dathomir, at least, those who are native to the planet. Unlike the Zabrak few who disappear there. Though by this time, some of those may be Nightsisters and Nightbrothers as well." 

"Possibly, Qui-Gon. And we need to know, especially as it does seem very possible that Maul originated there, based on what we know so far. At the very least, we need to eliminate it as the origin of the Sith incursion," Obi-Wan said, firming his resolve. "You have Anakin to think of, Master. We dare not expose him to that danger or Force corruption yet. Nor is he ready to foster with a Master here while you go.

"So I will go."

He'd been able to tell by the set of Obi-Wan's jaw, halfway through his words, that he was going to **hate** whatever decision Obi-Wan had come to. 

Knowing in advance didn't make him the slightest bit more prepared to deal with it, and he felt his eyes sharpening, attempting to build a conclusive argument for why his beloved should _not_ go into such danger alone... But he did have Anakin to think of. Anakin, who could not be left alone, or even with a Master less able to accept his challenges and questioning, his energy and boundless enthusiasm. 

By putting Anakin first in the discussion, Obi-Wan had removed any real chance of his ability to argue. "You knew exactly how much I was going to dislike this." 

Now Obi-Wan's head did fall, that little half-unsure ducking he had done so often during their years together. "Master, there is no choice. You cannot go. But I can. And should." He looked up with determination, his will set on protecting not just Anakin, but Qui-Gon. "It is my duty, to serve the Order, and this is a pressing need for all of us."

That quick, deferential duck of his head, even as his eyes looked up, resolute, set something deep in Qui-Gon's chest to melting, and he reached out to brush his palm over Obi-Wan's scalp, an affectionate stroke. "I would very much like to argue with you, but you're right. 

"However, the Council has decreed that we are not to go alone, so I think, my Knight, that you need to go and see who of your friends feels capable of braving the dangers of such a world, yes?" 

"I will do so, my Master," Obi-Wan said softly. He then moved, into Qui-Gon's space, initiating a long, deep kiss with the man he loved. He pushed all of that love into their bond, wrapping Qui-Gon in his resolution to keep them safe.

Qui-Gon wrapped him in tight, pulling Obi-Wan in closer, hand sliding up to wrap behind his neck as the other flattened at the small of his back, kissing him back just as intently. His beloved partner, his Obi-Wan... going off into this kind of danger without him... how did any Master ever stand it? 

The answer came to him a bare moment later, while he was still kissing him, and he almost broke the kiss. Because to do anything less was to cripple them, to keep them from reaching all of their potential... and that he could not do. He had (first grudgingly, then gladly) poured years of his life into this young man's future, and to hobble him now, no matter the reasons... no. 

When Obi-Wan broke from the kiss, he searched Qui-Gon's face, having felt something shift, and needing to know they were still safe in their commitment to each other. What he saw, in the peace that had come to his Master, reassured him.

"I'll go find Bant and Reeft, see if either one is available to help me," he said. "To give them a chance to prepare. But I think I can wait until tomorrow to leave… to make certain I say farewell to Anakin, and to you."

"Good," Qui-Gon told him, hand still wrapped around the back of his neck, watching his face. "I think we'll make an early evening of it, if Anakin is willing to cooperate, yes?" 

Obi-Wan felt the familiar heat of need and want coursing through his veins just at the touch along his neck, let alone the tone, the words… the look! His lips parted, and he licked at them lightly, unaware of how soft his face had gone, the way his eyelids fluttered.

"I would be most pleased by that, Master," he breathed.

"I certainly hope so, beloved," Qui-Gon answered... before he took that invitation and dragged Obi-Wan's mouth back down to his to kiss him again. When he let go this time, minutes later, he smiled at the half-flushed, half-dazed look on his face, and patted one hip lightly. "Go on now, you have things to arrange." 

Obi-Wan stumbled to his feet, got halfway to the door, and then looked back over his shoulder at his partner. "I never knew just how _mean_ you could be, Master," he said, with a distinctly seductive pout before he continued on his way, gathering his outer robe at the door.

Qui-Gon kept himself on the seat -- rather than chasing that look and pinning his beloved to the wall beside the door -- by sheer force of will, and chuckled quietly. "Hardly that... simply providing you with an incentive." 

++++

Shielding techniques were all that Obi-Wan could focus on for the journey to Dathomir. Before he and Reeft made planetfall, he had to be certain that nothing which happened leaked out to his Master. This separation was proving difficult enough, and previous missions with one of them in pain had been hard to endure. Obi-Wan wanted Qui-Gon safe from the backlash, even as he swore to himself to be as careful as possible.

Neither he nor Reeft, though, were truly prepared for how heavily focused the Force was, concentrated into the power held by the Nightsisters. The entire planet was drenched in Darkness, making Obi-Wan and Reeft both stand out against that background. No sooner than they landed than it felt as if they were being hunted, herded carefully toward the center of danger.

++++

Guilt hung on Obi-Wan's shoulders as he hurried Reeft to the healer's wing in the temple, even as he tried to ignore the numerous wounds he had, ones that resisted all aid, and drove him to distraction so that even a light trance was impossible. They were alive, they had information, and they had made it back.

He only wished he could have protected Reeft more, so that his friend wasn't now in a deep trance, placed there by a joint effort for the two Knights to save Reeft's life. Master Ibes wasn't on Coruscant currently, but that did not lessen Obi-Wan's guilt. This had been his mission, and Reeft had only gone because he asked.

Qui-Gon had known something was wrong for the better part of an hour, had felt the ripples of Obi-Wan's distress and pain from, he was almost certain, the moment they had left hyperspace, and had only waited for his comm to tell him that the ship had landed so that he would not actually be standing on the grid when they set down. 

Now, catching them halfway to the healer's wing -- really, catching Obi-Wan using a litter to bring Reeft along -- he wished he'd just gone to the grid. "Obi-Wan," he called, and then was at their sides, reaching to take control of the litter even before the training-bond told him how badly his own partner was injured. _Sith-spit!_ he thought, the word a vicious curse, but the Knight deep in a healing trance needed care first.

"Master… Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said, his voice raw and scraping, vocal cords not yet healed from screaming in pain and defiance during that last running battle that had seen Reeft go down. He still didn't know how they'd made it into the ship or off planet; everything had blurred after that point.

The Nightsisters had been prepared, and the Nightbrothers had been a nightmare of their own for Obi-Wan to face, though none of them had been near to Maul's ability. Obi-Wan would remember the word that had slipped free in the interrogation, before he and Reeft escaped, but for now he needed to get his friend to the healers, safe.

//He has to be safe. I can't have the death of another of mine on my hands,// he pleaded with the Force, as if it worked that way when he knew it did not. Bruck's death -- no matter the circumstances -- came back to haunt him all over again, seeing Reeft so still. Even with all the misery Bruck had brought to him, he had not deserved that death.

"I'm here," Qui-Gon reassured him, as the sound of Obi-Wan's agonized, half-broken voice shot an entirely unbecoming to a Jedi flare of pure rage through him. He throttled it down, pushed it away, and concentrated on helping them towards the doors of the healer's wing. "You're home. Almost there, beloved, almost there..." 

Obi-Wan shivered to hear that word on Qui-Gon's lips outside their quarters, letting it give him a little more strength. There were reasons he had gone, and all of them started with keeping Qui-Gon safe.

They made it to the healers, the doors opening as Vokara Che herself was reacting to the pain and need in the hall outside. She and helpers wordlessly took the litter, while two Knights that had chosen to pursue healing came to Obi-Wan's side.

The young Knight tried to wave them away, wanting to follow Reeft, to be sure he was taken care of.

"Knight Kenobi, you can do nothing for your friend," one said, while the other appealed to Qui-Gon with a look to make Obi-Wan comply with being aided.

They didn't expect much, given this pair was infamous for avoiding medical attention.

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon told him, looking at the completely ruined clothing, the blood and char and mud coating his beloved's body, "you can do Reeft far more good being cared for than having your pain distract Master Che. Let them help you." 

Obi-Wan's shoulders slumped, and he gave up on resisting; he could not disobey his Master. He was so tired, and if he stopped he would remember everything hurt.

"Ani?" he croaked out, to make sure his little brother was okay.

"Is just fine," Qui-Gon reassured him, and nodded to the Knights for them to lead Obi-Wan to be treated, following them. For the next two strides, anyway, until Obi-Wan staggered, and then Qui-Gon simply had him in his arms. 

"This way, Master Jinn," one of the Knights offered, guiding them to a berth with full equipment for monitoring an injured Jedi, with a bacta-tank none too far away. 

"We will tend him now, Master Jinn," the other said, pointedly. The healers hated being crowded in their work.

Qui-Gon stepped back, finding a place to lean against the outer wall of this particular room, and took himself into a meditative trance that would keep his presence from interfering with their work but he was not leaving Obi-Wan. Clothing was removed or cut away, skin cleaned, and it revealed mottled bruises, cuts, at least one burn and it was evident that this trip had been one of the most violent Obi-Wan had faced. The Knights worked swiftly, frowning when they could find bacta residue but the cuts still gaped, or had blackened along the edges.

"Whatever inflicted these wounds corrupts the flesh," one said, after meditating with her hand over the largest injury.

"The tank, then, for full immersion?" her partner debated. "Or will we need his active participation, to heal from the inside?"

"Tank, for a few hours, to purge the common contaminants and microbes," she said.

That he was meditating did not mean that he was deaf, and Qui-Gon's eyes opened, looking at the Healers, the sight of those almost rotting wounds drawing his teeth back from his lips in a snarl for a moment. He would not interfere with the Healers, but he _ached_ to help, to throw his own healing abilities into his beloved's body and fight whatever this was with his own strength. 

He, at the moment, had it to spare, where Obi-Wan obviously did not. 

"Master Jinn," the woman said, addressing him at last. "We will be submerging Knight Kenobi for the remainder of this duty shift, and half of the next, if you wish to return at the end of that time. Per the records, am I to understand you and he still have a training bond in place? It has not been documented as being closed, and such things can be useful to help engage healing protocols in one who is not fully conscious."

As she spoke, her counterpart was prepping Obi-Wan with the breather he would need for full submersion.

"We have not closed it," Qui-Gon agreed, "and I will be glad to aid in any way I can. There's nothing I can do now?" 

"No, Master Jinn. I suggest you go eat and rest until we require your aid," she told him. "He will be handled capably in your absence."

Qui-Gon frowned, but finally he nodded slowly, watching as they moved Obi-Wan and the breather did its work to pull him unconscious. Once he was at rest, once the pain was a background brush and not something in his own bones and muscles, he did as he was encouraged and went to check on his Padawan, find a meal, and sleep. 

Anakin had felt the disturbance, distantly, but focused enough on it to understand his Master was upset. With that in mind, he'd used the synthesizer to make a small meal, choosing things he'd seen Obi-Wan make for Qui-Gon, and set them at the table, in hopes it would ease things. He wondered what was wrong, but his ability to read his Master didn't extend much past general moods. Yet. Obi-Wan said that would come with time.

Qui-Gon stepped into their quarters, smelled favorite dishes, and crossed the room to his Padawan. Once he was certain he saw it coming, he dipped to lift Anakin up into his arms and hold him close against his chest. His Padawan was so innately giving, so caring... and so observant. "Thank you, Anakin," he told him, quiet and solemn. 

Anakin wrapped into that hug, returning it with all of his care and relief that Qui-Gon liked what he had done. "I promised Obi-Wan I'd take care of you, when he was away," the boy said, resting his head on that broad shoulder.

"Somehow, I am not surprised at this," Qui-Gon said with a quiet chuckle, much as that sank a vibroblade deep into his chest and twisted. "Though I am supposed to be the one taking care of you. I can't recall, Ani, did he tell you where he was going?" 

"He said he had a mission, and it would be dangerous, but for me not to worry and to study hard so I could go on the next one with you and him!" Anakin said, grinning. He then dampened a little. "Did you hear from him? Is he hurt? Is that why you felt upset to me?"

"Yes, it was," Qui-Gon agreed with the last question first, "and yes, he is wounded. He is here already, he is with our Healers, and he will be _fine_. But he is badly hurt right now." 

Anakin nodded once, then wriggled free. "Then you need to eat, sir, so that's not something he can worry about," the boy said with the logic of a child. "Is there anything I can do to help? Or do you want me to focus on studying on my own so you can go back down there to him?"

"You have helped, Ani," Qui-Gon answered, helping to put him down, to go to the table, "and you're right, I do need to eat. And after that, the healers insist that I rest until they need my aid. Will you make certain that I am awake in five hours, so that I am in time?"

"I will, Master." Anakin gave him a solemn look and then made note of the current time, before sitting at his spot at the table. Qui-Gon flashed a smile at him, despite his worry for Obi-Wan, and settled to the meal. 

++++

There had been a long, intensive healing session, but Qui-Gon's encouragement to the younger Jedi had done what was needed, helping Obi-Wan turn away the poison that had festered in his wounds, some nasty trick of warping the Force from allowing healing.

It broke the fever Obi-Wan had been running, and he lapsed into a quiet sleep then. Checking on Reeft, Qui-Gon had learned that Master Che had been personally offended by the deliberate harm inflicted on the Knights, and reached a deeper healing with Reeft than the pair of Knights had managed on their own. The Dressellian would live, though his time in the tank would be longer due to the deeper wounds.

The healers had insisted on Obi-Wan remaining in their care through the night, but when morning found the Knight not only awake but insisting he could handle himself, Knight Krieth Nimpur threw her hands up and released him with a glare.

"You will not engage in heavy athletics or hard labor for at least a ten-day, Knight Kenobi, or I will report the infraction to the Council," she warned him, before going to cope with easier patients, like the younglings currently suffering from an itchy fever.

Qui-Gon nodded his acceptance of the edict, and he would make certain to tell Anakin, as well. Between the two of them, they might actually keep him from doing anything he shouldn't until the time ran out. "He won't, Knight Nimpur," he told her, and handed his partner the knapsack of a new set of clothing so that he could dress before they left. 

Obi-Wan gave a long suffering sigh at the restrictions, and stood up carefully to dress in the clothing brought to him. He hated medical, hated the smell and sight of it, and had too many bad memories linked to it because of how excessively dangerous some of their missions had been.

"I need to report what we learned, Master Qui-Gon," he said, keeping his words the semi-formal level expected between their ranks, with that touch of familiarity allowed for their past. "I know I took the mission to further our mandate, but should I report to the Council directly, or to you?"

"I would like to know what you found, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied, keeping his hands away from his Knight with something of an effort, waiting to offer a shoulder if he needed to, "before we discuss it with the Council -- unless it would be too difficult to discuss the events twice?" 

"No, twice-told may help me understand more of it, to be honest." Obi-Wan winced as he settled his weight fully on his own feet in the soft-soled temple shoes from the bag. He was upright and able to walk, but that didn't mean his body had forgiven him for the short mission into misery. He focused on the disciplines to ignore pain, but he also moved to where Qui-Gon could assist him, if something went askew.

Qui-Gon nodded and stayed close, his fingers very lightly on his back, 'listening' through their bond to be certain that Obi-Wan was well enough. "Do you want to see Reeft before we leave? He's still immersed, but..." 

That light brush on the bond was enough to let him feel the guilt in his former Padawan, but the young Knight nodded. "Just to see with my own eyes," he said softly, turning to look toward the more intensive care area. "He was very driven, Master Qui-Gon, to assist as best he could, even when we realized that we'd fallen into a trap."

He was not going to wrap his partner in an embrace and check him over from scalp to toes in front of the healers, Qui-Gon told himself, nor was he going to discuss the guilt he could feel until they had the security of privacy around them. "He is a fine Knight, and a good friend to you. I am not surprised that he was." 

He kept the light contact as they walked back into the intensive care area, and Qui-Gon added softly, "Master Che cared for him personally, old friend, he's going to be just fine." 

"Good. I do not want to explain to Master Ibes that I caused lasting harm," Obi-Wan said, forcing a lighter note. His remaining friends -- and he still had not truly grieved for Darsha -- had maintained good friendships with their Masters. Even if Bant still grieved for her first Master, much as Qui-Gon had for years, as Tahl had been a very good Jedi and friend.

Obi-Wan looked at the tank with his friend in it, touching the glass briefly, promising himself to spend time with Reeft to polish his lightsaber work. That was one small thing he could do for his friend. He then steadied himself and turned to go. "Shall we?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon agreed, keeping his words for his partner to himself about that 'I caused' to himself until they were alone, and likely until Obi-Wan had talked through the events of this 'trap' they had apparently sprung and survived. Obi-Wan was walking steadily, and seemingly without trouble, but Qui-Gon found himself staying very close despite that. There was always the chance of a momentary weakness, or a spasm of pain, especially from flesh that had been so abused. 

Obi-Wan was ordering the events in his own head, making certain that he didn't forget anything, which served as an adequate distraction from the pain in his body. He made it the whole way back to Qui-Gon's apartment, having never even considered going to his own. It might have been better, he realized once they got there, given that Anakin might be inside, and his eyes flashed to his partner's in distress.

"I wasn't thinking of Anakin, Master. Should we go to my apartment to handle this report?"

"It's all right, old friend," Qui-Gon disagreed, smiling slightly, "Anakin is out running off some of his energy with a few of the Cat Clan on their calisthenics." 

Really, did Obi-Wan think he hadn't thought of that, and couldn't have turned their steps a different direction well before they reached here? "And besides, I would rather you be here, where we are both comfortable."

Obi-Wan nodded to that, then shook his head. "Of course you would have planned for this, Master." He gave a sheepish smile for the fact he'd gotten so wrapped up in what he needed to report. "And I am most comfortable anywhere you are," he added once they were inside, out of public hallways.

"You," Qui-Gon murmured, the word an affectionate sentence of its own, sealing the door, "are entirely flattering." 

He moved towards the broadest of the couches, tucking himself along the back of it, braced on the arm, and reached up for his beloved, wanting him to be close. 

Obi-Wan did not hesitate to take the comfort and closeness offered; the walk here had been harder than he wanted to admit. "I speak only truth, Qui-Gon, always." He lowered down onto the couch and tucked in so that his head rested on a shoulder, and he could close his eyes to just breathe in the completion he felt in his partner's presence. "I am sorry that I was not entirely successful. I do not know for a fact that Maul originated there. The interrogations ran quite the other direction in the brief period we were caught."

Qui-Gon's arms did _not_ tighten around his beloved, nor did he wrap the Force around him to clutch him tighter in that fashion. He only murmured his concern in a wordless sound and let one hand slip over Obi-Wan's short-cropped hair, shaking his head. "If there was such a trap waiting for you, no one could have determined for a fact that he came from Dathomir. 

"Interrogations. That... explains the pattern of some of those wounds entirely too well for my taste." He would very much like the opportunity to discuss these people's methods with them, as well as their choice of subjects to interrogate, which meant that he certainly should not go anywhere near that planet. 

"The 'trap' was for any Force-sensitive, I think, Master," Obi-Wan said. "The Nightsisters, and their men, the Nightbrothers, were ruthless in rounding us up, taking us to an enclave. I saw men like Maul, but not as fiercely trained. And the Force runs so dark, there, down to the core of the planet," he said. "It was palpable, as soon as we landed."

He relaxed into the hold, letting a peace take hold of him for knowing he was safe.

"Mmm," Qui-Gon murmured, low, his hand stroking lightly on Obi-Wan's scalp as he felt him relax, settle more in against his chest. "I see. All the way to the core? I pity its inhabitants, then." 

"We were herded and then caught, not without a fight, before being brought before a woman who seemed to be their leader. She called herself Mother Talzin, and seemed to think we had been sent through the treacheries of someone she called 'Darth Sidious'. I believe, Master, we may have a name for the second Sith now.

"She left after asking us questions about the Jedi, about this Sidious, and when Reeft passed out, she left us for some time. I was able to transfer some energy to him, and together we broke our bonds." Obi-Wan winced slightly, remembering how painful it had been to try and move to safety. "We created a diversion with one of their hearths; it exploded when we both focused the Force to set it out of alignment. And then we ran, Master, gathering our lightsabers to us on the move.

"Reeft, he is a mighty fighter, strong, but they were many. He collapsed in sight of our ship, and -- " Obi-Wan's words faltered, as he could not explain the events from that point. He remembered his utter despair and panic that they would fail, but only had flickers of the slaughter and run from that point.

Qui-Gon had made a quiet, unhappy noise at the 'herded', and then made himself be quiet, made himself simply listen to the events that had passed for his partner. That bit of information, 'Darth Sidious', it was hardly worth the pain his partner and Reeft had suffered, but it might... it very well might help them. 

As Obi-Wan related their escape, he made a softly approving noise then, proud of both of them for the escape, for their courage in the face of those wounds and their opponents but then Obi-Wan's voice faltered, the echoes of pain and fear and panic washing through them both, and he held him closer, careful of the wounds, and waited to hear how the tale ended. If there was much more to tell. There might not be, from how hard Obi-Wan had pushed himself to bring them home.

Obi-Wan debated how to phrase it, trying to make certain his partner, his beloved, would know that he too had faced a darkness and come through. "Reeft needed my assistance, but there were still fighters. I grew… driven. I know I killed several, while still carrying most of Reeft's weight." He turned his head some, so he could press his brow into Qui-Gon's neck. "It was not anger, nor hate, or even truly fear. I think it was my desperation to not fail that gave me the strength to get us onto the ship and into space. I think, for those last meters, the planet's darkness won."

Qui-Gon did not believe that last, but he kept quiet on that, his hand only stroking along the back of his scalp and neck, a low, soft hum in his throat. "You were fighting for your life, and your friend's life. You did what was needed, and you have come back to me."

Obi-Wan was not sure of that; he hated not remembering with clarity, of falling prey to his emotions in that manner. But he closed his eyes, letting the touch soothe him, the feel of Qui-Gon holding him remind him that they had made it back.

"Will the Council wait while I nap?" Obi-Wan asked, more wrung out by saying it all than he'd really thought possible. "I think the walk tired me out."

"The Council will wait," Qui-Gon agreed. If they didn't care for that, they could take it up with him. His fingers slid along Obi-Wan's nape again, light and gentle. "You need rest -- unconsciousness is no substitute for sleep." 

Obi-Wan made a small noise at that caress, part wishing and part petulance because he knew he was in no shape to respond properly. "I should not be using you for a bed, Qui-Gon."

"I disagree, my own," Qui-Gon replied, and pressed a light, careful kiss against his temple. "You are exactly where I want you to be." 

"I feel spoiled," Obi-Wan admitted, before settling slightly, and letting the fatigue take him under. This was just where he wanted most to be as well.

++++

Obi-Wan was resting on the couch, minus his Master, as the door opened and an emotional storm broke loose on his Force senses. He was already reaching for his lightsaber on instinct, despite being home, in the Temple, in his Master's apartments no less. He sat up some and saw Anakin, face full of thunder and marred around the eyes as if there had been tears.

"Ani?" he asked, raising his voice enough that Qui-Gon would hear, in case the boy's state was preventing the identity from coming through.

Anakin saw the Knight, and could hear his Master, and that more than anything worked to throw ice on his emotions. The boy struggled to find peace, or, failing that, to get his shields back up.

Qui-Gon had already known who was coming, and stepped quickly from the 'fresher, his eyes searching Anakin's face, and he crossed more of the distance between them, waving Obi-Wan back down on the couch. He stopped a step away, dropping down into a crouch so that he did not tower so badly over his young Padawan. "Do you wish to talk about whatever has happened, Ani?" he asked, devoutly hoping that the answer would be 'yes'. 

Anakin hesitated, then dropped his eyes. "I don't know if I should, Master Qui-Gon. I lost my control." 

Obi-Wan all but winced for the boy; he'd been a youngling, and then an initiate, who had not had much control once. However, this was for their Master to contend with.

"I did not mean to," Anakin continued. "Honest."

"Then it is all the more important to talk about it -- analyze the events -- so that you can understand where your mistake came from, and what to do about it later," Qui-Gon answered, feeling Obi-Wan's flinch across their bond. 

Wrath had been his trial, and Obi-Wan's, and now it seemed that it would be Anakin's as well. He would not fail Anakin the way he had failed Xanatos, had nearly failed himself. 

Anakin took a deep breath. "One of the Initiates called me a liar. About slavery existing." He bit his lower lip in shame for breaking the rules, which would reflect badly on Qui-Gon. "We were in the salle. And I challenged him to spar, only I pushed it too hard. Master Shaak Ti was overseeing us today. She told me to come here, and meditate on what was wrong with what I had done."

Qui-Gon sighed, soft, and reached to lay a hand on his Padawan's shoulder, squeezing gently. "I have never taken well to being called a liar, and I remember a few incidents in which I reacted much the same. 

"But Master Shaak Ti is right, and you and I were both wrong. Have you already realized why?" 

"Because I let my anger control my actions, instead of being reasonable?" Anakin hazarded as an answer. "And I am a better fighter even if he was two years older."

Obi-Wan did not groan. Two years older but still an Initiate? That sounded like a trouble-maker, and sounded too familiar to him from his own past.

Qui-Gon nodded, agreeing, "Those are two reasons, yes, but there is a third, more important than either of those." 

Anakin looked into Qui-Gon's eyes, trying not to panic. Wasn't it bad enough he'd failed earlier? Shamed his Master? Why couldn't he answer the man fully?

"Sir?" he asked in a small voice, not seeing the other reason.

Qui-Gon kept that gentle hold on his shoulder, passionately disliking seeing the rising tide of panic in his Padawan's eyes, the almost fright in his voice. Anakin had thought about it, was trying, and so he needed to give him another nudge towards the answer. 

Force bless, it had taken him the better part of forty years to understand this one, how could he expect a boy not even a fourth of that to see it instantly? "Do you think that you changed anything, Ani, by beating him?" 

Anakin slowly lowered his eyes. "Yes. In bad ways. Because he'll remember, and it will damage anything else in the future," he answered.

Pride filled him, and he nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "You did not prove that what you said was true by beating him. You have made an impression, but it is not the one you wanted. 

"The Force can change people's minds and hearts," he said, "but physical force cannot change them for the better."

Obi-Wan smiled, well out of sight of the boy or of Qui-Gon, because that was probably the gentlest that version of the physical violence lecture had gone yet, for any of the three of them.

"May I go and meditate, Master? So I don't forget this lesson?" Anakin asked.

"I think that you should, Ani," Qui-Gon agreed, and released his shoulder before he rose again. 

Anakin went to his room then, much calmer, and not because he was shielding too hard. Now Obi-Wan leaned up to look at his partner with a soft expression. "I wonder what lesson Master Shaak Ti will arrange for the elder Initiates this evening?" he asked, knowing the woman was likely to deliver a long lecture to the boy at fault and all of those who might have egged on the encounter.

"As do I," Qui-Gon agreed, his mouth quirking in complete agreement, before he settled back onto the couch with his partner, fingers light upon his shoulder. "It will most likely be enlightening." 

He sighed, running his other hand up through his hair, raking it back from his face and temple as he wondered if he had been right to send Ani out with any of the youngling groups. Ani had learned much, this last month, but he had nothing in common with the younglings.

"Master, he cannot be raised in isolation from them," Obi-Wan said firmly. "As much trouble as I had growing up among them, I still made good friends too. I would not trade it for anything. In Ani's case, he needs a chance to interact with his age mates, build relationships that will serve him when he is older."

The young Knight knew that Qui-Gon only wanted to protect the boy, but if Anakin was to thrive, he had to learn to interact with those who were at his own station as well, not just those above him.

Qui-Gon breathed a quiet sigh and feathered his hand across Obi-Wan's skin gently. "Thank you, beloved. I know you're right." Obi-Wan caught his hand, kissing the fingertips one by one.

"Of course, my love," Obi-Wan said softly when Qui-Gon had finished that delicate gesture. "I do want our boy to succeed, and I know I can't see all of the possible pitfalls in the way he grew up, but I will do all I can to help you see the problems going forward."

Qui-Gon smiled at him, brushing his fingers along Obi-Wan's lips gently. "Neither of us can," he replied, "but between us, we'll manage to get him through it. 

"So, any guesses on how many times he's going to have to run headlong into that particular pitfall?" 

"Oh, probably about as many as I got corrective detail for my temper," Obi-Wan answered, mouth curving in a smile. "Maybe less; you've mellowed since I first met you, and seem to actually be able to correct him in ways he accepts. You know, instead of my usual method of insisting on finding a way to prove you wrong," he added slyly.

Qui-Gon snorted softly, brushing his fingers along Obi-Wan's jaw this time. "If I hadn't mellowed, I think my adventures with you might have been the end of me, my own. You've been so very good for me." 

Obi-Wan blushed at the praise. "We've come a very long way from Broody Knight and Irritating Initiate at least."

"So we have," Qui-Gon agreed, and drew his partner's hand up to his lips. "You do know, Obi-Wan, that it was less any irritating tendencies on your part and more fear on mine, yes?" 

Obi-Wan didn't mean to flutter his eyelashes in that particular way, but Qui-Gon's words, confirming what he had known for so long made his soul infuse with so much warmth. "Master, I knew," he said softly. "I think I knew as far back as Phindar."

How was he supposed to do anything but dip his head and kiss his beloved for that look, that curve of his lips in a smile so beautiful that it took his breath away? "I'm glad you did," he answered, soft as the kiss had been, once he lifted his head away again. "And more glad that you forgave me for it." 

Obi-Wan pressed in hard and tight to his Master's body, catching his mouth, kissing him deeply. //There was never anything to forgive.// The feeling filtered from Knight to Master, as Obi-Wan was not letting this kiss fade any time soon.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Readying to Part](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6494587) by [ilyena_sylph](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph), [Merfilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly)
  * [Letting the Secret Out](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6510778) by [Merfilly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly)




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